


drabbles; love is...

by mysteryblo33om



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Just a lotta love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:53:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23423500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteryblo33om/pseuds/mysteryblo33om
Summary: love is in the air
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Lee Taeyong, Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Moon Taeil, Lee Taeyong/Nakamoto Yuta, Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. darkness (taewin)

Sicheng and Taeyong's love is darkness.

It's not the bad sort. It's comforting and silent. A starry night or a late-night walk. It's like falling asleep in the garden at two in the morning with the sound of a water feature consistent in the background. It's illuminated by a lamp or a television screen or the moon, so that it's not so scary anymore.

It's a sort of mature but silly love. The sort where they can sit together on the sofa late at night and watch scary films in the dark with limbs tangled around each other, even though neither of them are particularly fond of horror films. Sicheng always has to look away before the murders, and Taeyong screams at the jump scares every time. Yet, they have to watch them and see who gets scared first, and it absolutely depends on whether the first scene is more to do with the scare or the anticipation. Every time they watch these films, whatever snack they're sharing ends up all over them, the floor and the sofa, and they have to shamefully clean it up afterwards with a dustpan and brush, as not to wake everyone else up.

Their love is the sort of one where Taeyong drives them to a field in the middle of the night, taking their bed with them. They have a huge blanket to stop their nightclothes from getting dirty, along with a pillow each and a huge duvet to share. Sicheng is in a bright blue cotton onesie with a repeating duck print all over it, whilst Taeyong opts for an oversized yellow t-shirt and blue sweatpants. Sicheng wanted their nightclothes to match, as lurid and ugly as it looks to have such colours in the dead of night, but Taeyong doesn't care. Whatever his boyfriend wants, he'll get for him. Even their socks are matching; they both took one from each set of socks, but so that they aren't quite the same. One superhero sock - Iron Man for Taeyong and Captain America for Sicheng - and one of their Hogwarts house - Hufflepuff for Taeyong and Slytherin for Sicheng. The socks are on opposite feet so that when they place their shoes to the side and sit down, the Slytherin sock touches the Hufflepuff one with no difficulty, and they end up having a foot war for a minute or two until Taeyong lets Sicheng win.

They lay back on the blanket with the duvet pulled over them as they watch the stars together, their hands clasped together tightly between them. Sicheng is pointing at the stars above them and giving them silly names in Korean, since he doesn't know how to translate the Chinese name and he's not even going to try to pronounce the English or Latin names, but instead of correcting him, Taeyong suggests that they should contact the people who named the stars to ask that they rename them as "falling pan of rice" or "a bit of a spider". Sicheng isn't that into astronomy, but he's suddenly proud of himself now that Taeyong is asking him questions about his new constellations, and he starts to make up in depth stories about each one.

Of course, Taeyong remembered the ice cream, and Sicheng saved himself for the entire day so that he can now eat an entire pint of expensive ice cream without feeling guilty about it. It'll total at around six hundred calories, but it's fine since he's eaten low-calorie foods all day. If he's going to eat ice cream, he's not going to have one measly spoonful; he's going to binge eat the entire tub until his tum swells out a little bit. Taeyong knows that he sees it as a challenge, and even more so tonight now that they've laid in the middle of a field and not at home. There's no way that he's going to let it melt, just to watch the caramel and chocolate chunks sink to the bottom of the tub. It's a waste and a disappointment, and as long as he's able to eat ice cream, it won't be happening in his field of view.

The ice cream that they have is already starting to defrost, and so Sicheng tucks straight in. He's like a child sometimes, so it would be expected for him to have it all over his mouth as he's eating it, especially when he's shoving a huge spoonful into his mouth. Yet, he never misses, and by the time he's finished, the only evidence to suggest that he's even eaten ice cream in the first place is the tub, spoon, and the cold on his lips. Taeyong likes how chilly his boyfriend's lips are when he's eaten ice cream, so he puts his own to the side for a moment to kiss him sweetly on the lips. He wouldn't dare do it when Sicheng is eating, because the wrath of the ice cream addict is far from their love aesthetic. He'll be shouted at, since Sicheng hates being interrupted when he has food, although there'll be an apology by the morning. Taeyong understands completely, though. If he was trying to eat and someone else tried to kiss him, he would be rather irritated too, although he can hold it in a lot better than Sicheng can. It's the only thing that the younger boy snaps over, and he doesn't look like he's going to tone it down anytime soon.

Their kiss starts off innocent and sweet, with just the cold of their lips turning warmer as they move over each other's, but it quickly escalates. Taeyong has to put the lid back onto his tub as not to accidentally spill it, and Sicheng is sat on his hips in a second flat. Their tongues brush, and Taeyong gets a shiver running up his spine over how cold his boyfriend's mouth is. Vanilla and mint are mingling between them, and Taeyong gets a hint of the caramel swirl that Sicheng loves so much. When they pull away, the younger boy presses himself down so that they're chest to chest, then buries his face into Taeyong's neck before mumbling something about wanting to cuddle him properly underneath the stars. Taeyong asks where he wants to lay, and Sicheng rolls to lay next to him, but in a way that his head is still resting on Taeyong's shoulder. One hand is resting on his chest, and they're still holding hands between them even though it's crushing Sicheng's arm a little. He's not going to complain.

Their love is going back to the car after a while but clambering into the back seat. Taeyong puts his pillow behind his back as Sicheng sits in his lap, facing away. They pull the duvet over themselves and chat for a while about everything and nothing. The group, their relationship, pets, family, school life, weird dreams, what their alternate universe selves might be doing at any point. It's simultaneously comfortable and uncomfortable since it's cramped but they're also pressed so close to each other. Their breath is visible in the air, with it being so cold outside, and they pretend that they're dragons for a few minutes, only finishing when Taeyong turns to the glass of the window nearest to his face, then breathes on it. He frees his right hand and moves it over to the glass, then writes their initials. "DSC+LTY". He draws a heart around the letters, and Sicheng's face instantly lights up in response.

They share another gentle kiss, which is awkward in their current sitting position but neither of them really care all too much. A few little "I love you"s are exchanged between them as soft fingertips brush against faces and hands and arms. Taeyong tries to copy it when Sicheng says it in Chinese, and likewise, Sicheng tries to copy Taeyong's attempt at saying it in English, but obviously neither have any difficulty whatsoever when they say it in Korean. It's sweet and has them laughing, and they're left grinning at each other. Both love hearing how much their boyfriend loves them, especially since they both tried to hide their feelings for each other for the longest time. Sicheng was always too nervous to ever mention it, whilst Taeyong always felt as if he was imagining the way that the younger boy was flirting with him, and eventually their friends had to set them up, as they had grown sick of watching them loving each other from a distance. Now they were here together, loving on each other every day and sharing cute little breaths of affection here and there, and they couldn't be happier.

They fall asleep in the back of the car after an hour or so. Sicheng is the first to drop off, and Taeyong watches him sleep for a while. He's so peaceful, and his boyfriend never wants to look away in fear of losing a precious moment with him.


	2. Painted Walls (Chenji)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chenji being lil bubs in love

Chenle and Jisung's love is like paint.

It's fresh and new, like a coat of paint. Wet and fluid and perfectly rolled. It's sometimes overwhelming and worms it's way in to take over every sense. It's a way of getting rid of the imperfections, ironing out all of the creases. It's thick and smooth and even the splatters are perfect.

It's painting together in the early hours of the morning. They wake at eight o'clock and decide that it's the perfect time to start on their new project. They begged to be able to paint their shared room in the dorm a matte white, and whilst they weren't really supposed to be able to do that, the colour was decidedly sensible and it was in need of a fresh coat after several years of gradually yellowing. They filled in all of the holes and sanded down any bumps, then move the furniture to the centre of the room once they're awake properly. It's a hard job for the two of them to move everything through to the centre without any additional help, but despite how heavy it is, their teamwork pays off in the end. Chenle lets out an excited laugh as they move the final item to the middle, and Jisung just pulls him into a tight embrace.

Their love is wearing old clothes and reaching up on tiptoes to reach the wall at the very top. They're both in sweatpants, then Chenle is in a t-shirt whilst Jisung is in a tank top. Jisung is painting most of the top half, since he's taller and doesn't struggle as much to reach. Chenle spends most of his time on his knees, painting the lower half of the wall, and he has a plastic-covered pillow underneath his knees to avoid putting too much weight on his joints for long periods of time. There's a bit of overlap where they're painting, and when Chenle purposely paints high on Jisung's half to bug him, the younger boy flicks the paint from his brush onto his boyfriend's cheek. It lands in a big blob, much like spilt ice cream. They both laugh as it dribbles down his cheek and onto his t-shirt.

The wall is painted relatively quickly and they take a break to have a paint war. It starts out when Chenle paints a long white stripe across Jisung's cheeks, and Jisung follows it up by covering the back of his hand completely with several strokes, and suddenly they're both slopping paint all over each other's arms and faces and hair. It gets to the point where their skin and shirts are both painted white, and they're left snorting and laughing as they try to wrestle the damp fabric off before it ends up getting everywhere. They're close to painting each other's bare chests again, but instead, drop the paint rollers back into the buckets and hug each other. The paint has already dried on their skin before they make contact, and so when their skin touches, there's a lot of friction. Yet, it's pure and sweet and punctuated with little kisses to faces.

They waddle on the spot as they hug each other, but then quickly get back to painting the remaining walls. It's a small room, so it only takes around three hours to finish off the remaining walls, and they're glad that it is, since neither have the patience to spend a full day painting a room that was already tolerable. It's just one coat for now, since although the paint is quick to dry, they had slapped it onto the walls in a rather thick layer, but that's fine since the only problem is the slight tint to the walls where the sun had washed the paint. Perhaps if it shows through they'll add a second layer, but at the moment it doesn't look like it's going to be necessary.

As soon as they finish, they change the bedsheets. Fresh walls, fresh everything. Taeyong had helped them to iron the sheets that morning, since they had been scrunched up in a box after they had been washed, and so they were crease-free and warm. They did them together to avoid letting them get creased again, making sure to smooth it all out neatly so that everything looks as perfect as possible. Although they have separate beds, the boys liked to share one between them, since it was a lot cozier to be cuddling with your best friend and boyfriend. The feeling of sleeping next to another person so innocently with breath mingling and shared body heat was something that they enjoyed a lot, and it was always a joy to see the person they love the most as soon as their eyes open. There was the chance to share little kisses or cuddle or share thoughts on their dreams, and it's an absolute dream come true to be in that position.

They end up sharing a shower in the mid-afternoon to get all of the paint off, since neither of them are able to successfully clean themselves alone, given the amount of paint that was spread during the fight. Chenle can't reach the underside of his arm properly, and somehow Jisung ended up with white splatters across the back of his neck. There's paint in hair, on necks, in ears, and it takes a good scrub with a flannel to be able to get the streaks off. Their flannels match; one has a duck on it, and the other a frog. They give each other a quick look over to make sure that all of it is gone, before hopping out and heading straight towards their bedroom, wearing just big fluffy towels as they carry their dirty clothes with them in hand. They dry themselves and get dressed straight into bedclothes, since they figure that there's no point in dirtying more clothes when there's only a few hours before bed anyway, then help to dry each other's hair. Chenle's puffs up so that it's standing on end after Jisung rubs it in circles to dry it, but Jisung's is floppy and straw-like and plastered to his forehead from where Chenle simply rubbed the towel back and forth. They end up combing each other's hair into silly styles, so that Chenle's is like Jaehyun's in the Limitless music video, and Jisung's is parted into ugly curtains that cover his eyes.

Their love is sitting on the bed in matching grey cotton pajamas, sockless and sat under the covers together with teddies packed in with them. Both have a favourite who sits on their lap, then a few who are crammed between them and at the sides. The current favourites are a grey flannel bunny and a huge teddy bear made from minky fleece. Naturally, they're named after each other, since the boys bought them for each other for the new year. They sit and gossip with each other about absolutely everything possible, from the other boys who live with them to the people they go to school with. Half of it is serious, whilst the other half is stupid rumours and conspiracies that have them both laughing. It's ridiculous and hilarious and they find it great to spread such things between them.

Their love is competitively playing video games together when the games aren't supposed to be too competitive. It's pushing each other so that they make a wrong move, flopping or jumping on each other to serve as a huge distraction. Who can complete this level of Candy Crush the fastest, or who can get the highest number of tips on that fast food restaurant simulator. It gets really heated between them, since neither wants to lose to their boyfriend, even though it's the most ridiculous thing to get so aggressive over stupid video games. It's not even good video games, which is the biggest problem, and both of them know it. They sit in silence, laid on their front, and only pipe up when there comes a time where bragging about their achievements seems to be appropriate, until both of them are out of lives or fail too many times, and instead they resort to tickle fights to pass the time.

They take a nap in the mid-afternoon and wake when it's dark to one of the elder boys asking if they're going to be coming downstairs for dinner. Of course, they're incredibly excited by that and rush down to eat the eggy rice. Their seniors always make good food, and this is no different; it's sticky and filling and they eat almost fast enough to leave them both with indigestion. One of the elder boys warns them that they need to slow it down, so they apologise with sheepish smiles and cheeky glances between them.

As filling as it is, though, they still have the urge to eat extra snacks after dinner and end up sneaking a few back to their rooms for a midnight snack.


	3. rainy day (mark & Johnny)

Mark and Johnny's love is rain.

It's as much the sound as it is anything else. It's the sudden realisation that the rain is hammering against the windows and roof in a moment of spontaneous silence. It's the splashing in puddles as they run home with jackets over their heads, and the dull pattering sound of the raindrops hitting the pavement. It's the sound of cars going through the pools in the centre of the road, and the squeaking of soaked rubber soles.

It’s the smell of the rain, the distinct scent of wet grass and the way the room smells different when they stand next to the closed window. There’s condensation on the inside and rain on the outside, and as much as the window frame is well sealed, there’s still that damp outside smell leaking into the house. It's the scent of damp towels that are left in the laundry basket for a bit too long after drying off rain-soaked skin.

They’re the sort of couple to dress for the weather before they leave the house instead of considering what it would be like for the rest of the day. They rarely walk out with jackets on, since it adds an unnecessary bulk as they're walking, and it's never fun to walk home after overheating in practice with a thick coat in hand. The other boys in the dorm had been discussing the inevitable rain all day, even going so far as to point out the slight grey undertones to the clouds, but frankly, Mark didn’t see it and so opted for a simple white t-shirt. Likewise, Johnny made sure to match him with a sleeveless vest and matching ripped jeans. It was a subtle way for them to match each other without raising any suspicion if they were caught walking side by side without anyone else from the dorm.

It’s their day off, so everyone else had gone off to do their respective chores for the day, but Mark and Johnny had decided to spend the day at the studio. It isn’t exactly related to their work this time, though, so they aren’t wasting their only day off for weeks by doing more formal dance practice. Today, they decide to show each other how they’ve improved lately, with Johnny showing Mark a dance cover that he was working on independently, and Mark teaching Johnny how him and the other Dreamies shuffle dance. They end up copying each other in a way that looks really over the top and silly, and it ends up leading to a bit of roughhousing where they end up pushing each other into various pieces of furniture, and occasionally on the floor.

One particularly gentle push from Mark catches Johnny off guard, and he ends up falling backwards and landing on the floor with a loud thud. They stare at each other in silence as fire burns in Johnny’s eyes and Mark is absolutely certain that his boyfriend is going to have his head for that until it suddenly registers that they can hear that consistent sound of rain hammering on the roof. It seems to hit them both simultaneously as the roughhousing stops altogether and they go out to the staircase in unison to look out of the window in hopes of confirming it.

They share a moment of amazement at the fact that it’s that heavy already and they hadn’t even noticed the gradual build-up, but it quickly fades to irritation as they remember what they’re wearing. Of course, neither thought to bring a jacket, despite the warnings to do so from some of the older boys in the dorm.

They decide to stay there for another half hour, just to see if the rain eases up a bit, but by that point, it’s getting to be around three-thirty in the afternoon and neither particularly want to have spent their entire day off messing around in the studio. Mark suggests they take the plunge, despite neither really wanting to get too wet, and so they simply open the studio door and make their way out into the cold.

The rain is freezing cold against bare skin. Johnny adapts to it relatively quickly, but Mark is shivering hard from the moment they get outside. They start running after a few metres, figuring that even if they’re running into the rain and they end up getting wetter than if they walked, it would at least get them out of the cold quicker. Their dorm is at least a ten or fifteen-minute walk from the studio, but they’re certain that they could run it in around five if they just keep going.

Within seconds, Johnny has to sweep his hair to the side so that it’s not obstructing his vision, but Mark’s is flat down against his forehead and he’s fully relying on Johnny to guide him. Their shirts are clinging to their bodies, with Mark’s even going completely see-through, and suddenly Johnny grows protective of him as they’re running together and he watches as someone else’s eyes are glued to his boyfriend’s torso. He grabs for Mark’s hand with the excuse that they can’t be separated in the crowd, but it’s obvious that he’s getting protective. Mark doesn’t mind, though; in his eyes, it’s rather romantic to have Johnny showing the world that he’s his.

Johnny goes to open the door with his keys as they get close, and surprisingly it’s locked. Although it only takes a few extra seconds to unlock it, it’s a few extra seconds out in the cold, and the irritation is obvious through the low huff that passes Johnny’s lips. They finally get inside the house and shoes are removed barely a step into the door. Johnny isn’t planning on stopping there, though, as he can’t stand unnecessarily trailing water through the house, so he pulls his shirt over his head, slips his jeans off his hips, then tugs his wet socks off, before dumping all of the clothes in a pile by the door. Mark copies just a moment later, leaving both in just their boxers, then they make a beeline towards the bathroom. They stop only to grab fresh towels from the dryer and hop straight into the shower together as soon as they get there.

Mark suggests their usual rainy day ritual as they’re washing themselves down, and of course, Johnny doesn’t hesitate to accept the offer. They’re quick to finish up and make their way to the bedroom in order to get ready. Johnny dresses first in his oversized high school leaver hoody with baggy sweatpants but he notices how Mark watches him dressing with a hopeful smile, and tosses him a thick knit jumper that's been stretched out of shape to go with his own bed trousers.

They opt for tacky American reality television today, equipped with brownies and Angel's Food Cake and hot cocoa. It's nothing that they would usually be able to eat, but Mark's parents somehow managed to get their hands on the ingredients for him to hoard until he was in need of comfort food. Once it was all prepared, they made their way into the main room with a huge fluffy blanket in tow. Mark is sat between Johnny's legs, with his head resting against his boyfriend's shoulder and his mug in hand, whilst Johnny's arms are wrapped around him and his mug resting on Mark's thigh. It's romantic and sweet, and they're able to laugh openly together over the show as they speak with each other in English. For the moment, Mark and Johnny from NCT are forgotten, and they're a regular couple with no worries in the world. No fame or jobs or responsibilities; they can relax together and be loving towards each other.

There's not much conversation between them other than laughs and the occasional comment over what's been said on the shows. It persists that way for an hour or so before they've both finished their cocoa and placed the mugs to the side. When their hands are free, Mark presses his hands over Johnny's as he turns to gaze at him over his shoulder. Their eyes meet, leaving them both smiling warmly at each other, and Johnny tells him that he loves him in a way that leaves Mark's chest feeling fuzzy and tight. He turns around in Johnny's lap and takes his face in both hands, then leans in to press their lips together hard. It's chaste and pure and perfect, and Mark melts under Johnny's perfect lips as they make contact. No matter how many times they kiss, there's still an element of novelty; they seem to be one of the most unlikely couples in the dorm, so it still feels like a dream for Mark to get Johnny all to himself. He never expected for the older boy to fall for him, but here they are, going as strong as the rain that soaked them just hours before.


	4. cotton candy (Yutae)

Taeyong and Yuta’s love is cotton candy.

It's soft and sugary and warm. It melts against mouths, and scratches and tickles ever so slightly against the skin of cheeks. It's pastel shades; blues, pinks, purples. It tastes sweet and they can never have enough of each other. Their love extends to the gentle whir of the candy floss machine and the way that the sugar clings loosely to the stick. They’re a quiet couple, never too clingy but always co-existing close by.

Taeyong is particularly quiet. He's not the sort to actively discuss his feelings towards others, and so Yuta was the one to make the first move. He was thrilled by it but replied modestly, and whilst some guys would have probably found it off-putting that he hadn't shown his excitement, Yuta was aware of the slight shyness that Taeyong had when it came to romantic feelings. He made sure not to push it and has since never actively tried to make him feel as if he has to be affectionate in front of people, or even alone, and so they started their relationship out with minimal contact in front of people. Nowadays the public displays of affection are still rare, but it's not uncommon to find Taeyong sat on the sofa doing work whilst Yuta is sat perpendicular to him, with his back pressing against Taeyong's arm or side. They simply co-exist together quite affectionately in the social areas of the dorm, and that's the way that both of them like it.

Their first date as a couple was to a fairground, and so they made a point of going back there every year on their anniversary. It was the place where they first held hands in public and where they shared their first proper kiss on the lips, since they weren't quite under the public eye back then and could easily slip out and go out on dates without being recognised for the most part, although nowadays they have to keep it even more toned down. They could probably hold hands and it wouldn't be seen as something romantic between them, but they figure that fans will soon figure out why they go to the fairground on the same day every year. There's already theories that they're in a relationship, and the fire doesn't really need more fuel.

Yuta can see Taeyong eyeing up the cotton candy from the moment they get there. There's a little cart with sweet things, and he's not even being subtle about the fact that it has his attention. Yuta promises that they'll go over to get some before they leave, but he doesn't want something sugary making him sick if they go on rides together. Taeyong loves going on the rides but his stomach isn't always the strongest, and although he can usually hold it relatively well, he ends up pale and even quieter when he's eaten a load of sugary foods as well. It's something that they learnt the hard way on a trip to a theme park, when he almost ended up regurgitating his ice cream all over Sicheng, who was more concerned about the potential waste of food that would've occurred. His lower lip pops out ever so slightly but he's not prepared to argue with his boyfriend after he was so kind as to offer to buy it for him, so he instead tries to divert his gaze to other things in the environment.

Of course, Yuta is quick to cave when he can see Taeyong actively trying to avoid looking at the cotton candy. He makes him promise that they're not going to start with anything fast or spinning if they go on rides until his stomach is definitely settled enough to not cause him any problems after the rides. Taeyong smiles brightly at him as he agrees to the condition. It's a smile that's toothy and makes his cheeks look full and child-like, but it's a smile that Yuta has grown to love more than anything. He buys them some each; his own is blue, whilst Taeyong has pink as always.

Somehow they end up holding hands once they have their candy floss, and Yuta subconsciously strokes his boyfriend's hand with his thumb as they walk together. They eat it slowly in hopes that the taste will last that bit longer on their tongues. The chat is idle for a while as they look at the various different stalls that are set up and decide between them which of the games they plan on coming back to once they've finished eating. Taeyong is relatively good at throwing games and it's become a ritual for him to win something cute and stuffed for Yuta, as Yuta stands next to him and watches in anticipation. For their first date it was a huge stuffed dog, last year it was a really soft lion, and this year Taeyong has noticed that a giant purple hippo has his boyfriend's eye. He's already decided that he's definitely winning it for him nearer to the end of the day, and he's not leaving the fairground until it's in Yuta's arms.

They continue wandering together until their candy floss is finished, and Taeyong immediately tells Yuta that he'll buy the next round when they're about to leave. It's standard for them to eat as much of the stuff as possible, he points out, and since it'll be another year before they get to eat any more of it, they might as well eat as much as they can.

He looks up as they put the sticks in a bin, and whilst the cotton candy would've usually been somewhere in the front of his mind all day, his attention is completely captured by something else entirely. Yuta sees it too; his entire face erupts into the biggest grin, and naturally, they both have the same instinctual idea. Without a word, they break into a run in the direction of a small petting zoo. It's something that they both secretly have a weakness for, despite a shared feeling that they probably shouldn't be this soft or excitable over a few soft animals. It's not that they feel as if it's not masculine or anything; rather, they're more concerned about the fact that they're in their twenties and still melting over cute things.

Yuta immediately makes a beeline for an alpaca, who is nosily trying to stick her head out for any passer-by to give her attention, whereas Taeyong is instantly fascinated by one particular hen. They spend a good fifteen minutes with those animals alone, before moving on to the others that are there. Pigs, donkeys, dogs, bunnies, and finally a really cute sheep. Taeyong sits in front of each animal with a doe-eyed expression and cute smile plastered on his face, then affectionately makes the animal noise at them. He's excited every time one of them responds to him, and actively encourages Yuta to copy too, until they're both making noises back and forth with each animal.

After some time, they decide that it's time to actually go on some rides. Luckily the sugar has settled in their stomachs enough for neither to end up feeling too queasy after each ride, even though most of them spin around with enough speed to leave them dizzy for a short while when they get off. There's the few that they always go on, and they end up on those ones several times each. It always ends up exactly the same each time, with Yuta clinging to Taeyong, and Taeyong's eyes squeezed tightly shut.

After the rides, Yuta finds himself being dragged back towards the game with the hippo. He insists that it's no problem if his boyfriend can't get it for him, but the older boy is absolutely determined to get that specific stuffed animal for him. He'll even stay there all day and all night if he has to.

Luckily, he doesn't have to, since he somehow manages to get it within two tries. After all, he is the master of those sorts of games after so many attempts to get Yuta gifts in the past.

Yuta's eyes are saucers when he's handed the hippo. It's a lot softer than he imagined and it's almost too big for him to wrap his arms around it as they walk together. He whispers a promise of one hundred kisses when they get home, plus as much cuddling as he wants. Of course, Taeyong didn't do it for that, but he happily accepts the offer.

As always, they finish their date with cotton candy. With Yuta's arms full, Taeyong makes sure to buy several tubs of cotton candy so that they can eat it when they get home, but at the same time, the sticks are all too tempting. He ends up getting one for them to share, primarily because it's a mix of blue and pink candyfloss, then spends the journey home sharing it with him.


	5. baker boys (reno)

Jeno and Renjun's love is cake baking.

It's the Sunday afternoons with the radio playing in the kitchen and the smell of the oven taking over the house. It's the scent of vanilla that they've gone overboard with in their cake batter, and the overwhelming smell of sweetened cocoa in their buttercream. It's something delicious in the process of baking, be it in or out of the oven, and it's the softness of the steamed cake that they finish with.

They decided at the beginning of their relationship that they would always bake together, with the exceptions of birthdays. That had taken a bit of discussion in the end, since neither really wanted to miss out on the opportunity to bake together then either, but at the same time, they didn't want to ruin the surprise and so settled on baking birthday cakes secretly. They both share the love for the process of it, right from the measuring of every single material, through to the sloppy mixing process in which they're certain that there's still more flour bubbles in the bowl, to the baking process.

Renjun always licks the bowl once the cake is baking in the oven. He makes sure to offer it to Jeno too, every single time without fail, but his boyfriend simply shakes his head with an absent-minded smile and sits at the table so that he can watch him eating the remains of the mixture. He knows that he could have gotten more out of the bowl when he was scraping it, but Renjun prefers the taste of the uncooked batter more than the actual cake, so he makes sure to leave a little more than necessary aside for him to eat. It's absolutely adorable, in his opinion, how his boyfriend sucks on the spoon until his cheeks hollow, as well as the way in which he runs his finger delicately around the big mixing bowl, before popping it into his mouth and running his tongue over it.

They almost always end up sitting in front of the oven, watching their cake rise. It's visibly rising to be incredibly fluffy, and they make idle conversation whilst they wait about how they're going to be decorating it. For this cake in particular, they've decided to cover each of the three layers with black fondant icing, then splatter it with neon colours. It's something that they've always wanted to try, since the photos they found of similar cakes always looked so cool.

They don't bother to make up the icing before the cake is out of the oven. It's hot and springy and exactly how they wanted it to turn out, so there are huge smiles shared between them as they take them out of the cake tins and put them on a rack to cool. Renjun is insistent on getting the icing sorted as quickly as possible now that their cake is finished baking, but Jeno reminds him that it's going to melt if they put it on before it's fully cool, and there's no point in leaving fondant on the side for a half hour until the cake is ready to be assembled. He isn't too happy with that answer but nods in agreement and asks what they're going to do instead.

They end up doing little in the end, since they're far enough into their friendship and relationship for silence to be comfortable.

They simply sit in the main room, waiting for the point where they can get started with decorating. Both are on their phones, finding photos of cake decorations and texting their families, and they occasionally show each other what they've found online as time passes. It's not boring in the slightest; they're like companions, in a way. Even the more "dull" moments are good moments for them when they're together.

Finally, it gets to the point where they're allowed to decorate the cake. Renjun has a bounce to his step as they make their way back to the kitchen, and he's so excited when Jeno suggests that they cut the cake into the relevant shapes and then assemble it how they imagined it.

Each tier has two layers of cake, held together with Jeno's favourite flavour of buttercream. It doesn't necessarily match with the general aesthetic of the cake, but it goes pretty well with the vanilla cakes, and that's what matters the most. Besides, their photos of it aren't really going to show the inside as much as they will the outside, and they're certain that the other boys in the house aren't going to be bothered by the amateur appearance of the cake's inside.

Once each tier is assembled, Jeno places the rolled icing on top. He's like a real baker, as far as Renjun is concerned, since he puts the icing on so perfectly; there's no weird bumps and it's completely smooth all the way around. It's a lot like the cakes that he's seen on his favourite baking programmes; the ones that are made in the professional bakeries in fancy shops across the world, everywhere from New York to Rome to Incheon.

They're incredibly careful when putting the three layers together, but a lot of hugs and smiles are exchanged once it comes together. It's assembled perfectly, as far as they're concerned, and they wouldn't do anything to change the general aesthetic of their cake.

Now that it's all put together, the fun is due to start.

The coloured icing is a lot runnier than the black fondant on the cake so that they can splatter it everywhere. Sure enough, it quickly ends up getting all over both boys, until Jeno's face has similar green streaks to his hair, and Renjun is absolutely covered in pink. They're laughing hard as they cover each other, and there's barely any on the cake at all since their icing fight has completely taken over their attention instead. Cold spoons are smearing the runny, sugary mixture everywhere, even on shirts, until Jeno reminds his boyfriend that it's supposed to be on the cake, not each other.

They share a gentle kiss, taking the time to feel each other's smiles as their lips make contact, and when they pull away, some of the icing around their mouths has mixed together a little. Their smiles only grow when they realise that anyone who enters the kitchen will realise that they've shared that kiss; not that anyone would mind, considering that it's hardly a secret in the dorm.

Yet, they feel the slight need to actually decorate the cake some more before they can officially say that it's finished. They turn back towards their cake, taking out two fresh teaspoons from the cutlery drawer, then start to dribble and splatter the mixture onto the cake until it looks like it's been part of a fight at a paint factory. It doesn't look anywhere near as uniform as the cake it's inspired by but it still looks amazing as far as they're concerned, and it gives a new edge to the design.

Jeno asks whether Renjun wants to cut a slice together before everyone else gets to it, since he knows it'll end up being absolutely destroyed by everyone else as soon as they realise that it's there, and Renjun is quick to give a nod of approval to the idea. They take one of the biggest knives that they can find and cut a triangular slice from the lowest tier, then pull it out and away from the main cake by just a few inches before taking their aesthetic photographs of it. After all, their families always love to see their creations and they also like to show their school friends what creative things they've done together. They're probably going to end up taking what they can to their friends anyway, provided that the rest of the group doesn't eat the cake too quickly.

Once photos are taken, they take their own slices before making their way to the main room to eat them. They call to the rest of the group on their way over to let them know that the cake is there, and they're certain that they can hear a few of them slowly coming out from their rooms as soon as they hear that there's food in the house. They don't see them, though, as they go to sit on the sofa together and chat about what their next baking project will be, and when they'll have the opportunity to go ahead with it. They're both relatively busy with school and their job and everything else that their lives have to offer them, but there's always that bit of free time every month to at least be able to spend a couple of hours baking together, and so they're quick to fill up their plans for the first available opportunity.

Next time, they're feeling that homemade ice cream cake is on the table, and they already have everything from the flavour to the ingredients list planned before they've even finished eating their current cake.


	6. afternoons (haechan/taeil)

Taeil and Donghyuck's love is a quiet afternoon of study.

It's the smell of books and fresh paper and leather-bound journals. Their love is the sound of a fountain pen pressing into a new sheet, and the slow turning of pages. It's the way that Taeil sits in silence next to his boyfriend as he revises the content for his exams and the way he licks his thumb and forefinger to pluck the pages of his book apart a little easier.

Taeil has a slight obsession with stationary. He has little need for it nowadays since he's not taking a university degree and mostly takes notes on his phone, but it's always worth having around. He feels that a good pen makes for good writing, since the weight and flow are important for proper handwriting, whereas Donghyuck is prepared to use absolutely anything that he can find. Pencils, pens, chalk; on one occasion, he even used powdered sugar and a fingertip to write a quick note to Mark on the kitchen side. He doesn't quite get his boyfriend's need to have the highest quality stationary, but at the same time, he does appreciate it. It's always nice to see him in stores looking at their pens and paper, especially when they're abroad, and he almost always gets Donghyuck a gift too. His fountain pen and quill collections are particularly impressive, and he has enough heavy-duty paper to last a lifetime.

Donghyuck's exams aren't quite as important at the moment since he's just starting out in high school, but he still wants to prove to his family and the rest of the group that he can pull his weight. The older boys have told him on countless occasions that there's only so much an idol can do when their group disbands if they don't have any qualifications. Granted, he does want to be a singer and actor for the rest of his life anyway, but it's always important to have it under his belt, he figures. Taeil is particularly supportive of him taking care when it comes to his school work. The six-year age gap between them is relatively large, and on occasion, the older boy acts a bit like a brother or parent in ensuring that he's focusing on his school work as well, but it's all for the best and Donghyuck understands that. After all, he lives for the times where Big Brother Taeil switches back to cuddly, loving Boyfriend Taeil.

Yet, there's only so much studying that a boy can do before his brain melts a little and none of the words go in anymore. It quickly gets to the point where he can barely understand his own handwriting anymore and the words have no meaning at all.

He groans loudly and presses his face into his book, breathing heavily into it. The smell of paper is still relatively strong, even though he's read through this book countless times. Perhaps it's down to the fact that he usually gives up before he hits this point. He's sure that he's only to that point now since Taeil offered to sit with him and encourage him where necessary.

Taeil's eyes snap up when he hears the pained noise from his boyfriend. He gently kisses him on the forehead before checking the time and figuring that he's been going strong for around forty-five minutes already, so a break is well overdue. Naturally, Donghyuck's mouth twitches into a smirk and he playfully asks if that means that he's granted permission to make out with him for the next ten or so minutes until he's due to continue with his work, but Taeil gently taps the tip of his nose with a fingertip and reminds him that he's there to help him study as opposed to making him miss his cue to restart work. He knows Donghyuck well enough to foresee him not returning to his work if they were to spend his break kissing, since "that wasn't really a proper break".

Instead, he hops up and leaves the room without explaining what he's doing, and the smirk changes to a confused expression as the younger boy tries to figure out what's happening. It takes a minute or two for Taeil to return, but it's decidedly worth the suspense when he returns to the room with a huge bar of chocolate in his hands. It's for incentive, he says; one line for every double-page that Donghyuck successfully reads and takes in from this point forward. He'll be testing him, so he can't just claim to have read it in order to get the food.

It's decent motivation and he's taking in a lot more than he had been when he was just trying to skim it on his own.

Taeil breaks the bar into lines for him and asks three questions per page at random, based on what he finds on the page himself, then slips the chocolate into his boyfriend's mouth. Donghyuck sucks on it to make it last longer, so that by the time he finishes each chunk he'll be able to get the next one. It's a smart move, as far as Taeil is concerned, since it gives a constant stream of reward for him.

Then they hit the point where he has to answer the questions in his book on all of the chapters he's covered so far. He flops to the side, putting his entire body weight onto his boyfriend as he does so, and Taeil simply wraps an arm around him as he encourages him to finish up with the work. They can do other things once his revision is finished for the day and he still has a bit of chocolate left to eat. Donghyuck isn't happy about it still, but he reluctantly asks if he can have a pen and paper to write his answers down.

His boyfriend promises to get him the highest quality materials possible to motivate him to finish them up. He goes to search for the pen and paper, making sure to search around for the specific ones that he knows Donghyuck will like to write with. The winners are Crown Mill paper in light pink and a Yard-O-Led Victorian fountain pen.

It's well appreciated when Taeil hands them over. The pen is relatively heavyweight and writes smoothly, leaving slight indents in the paper with each stroke. He can hear the slight scratching every time he writes a letter, and makes sure to draw each one out and make his writing as neat as possible in order to enjoy the sound it makes for just a little longer. It, therefore, takes longer than necessary to write up his answers, but he doesn't care so much since it's left him feeling arguably more relaxed now.

Once all of the answers are written up, Donghyuck hands his paper over to the older boy to read over, and he makes sure to find the answers in the book if he isn't sure on whether they're right or wrong. It takes almost twenty minutes for him to check through all of the questions, but it's worth the wait since only two out of fifty questions are incorrect, which isn't bad considering that he thought half of it hadn't gone in at all. The rest of the chocolate is handed over and Donghyuck is triumphant finally - after one more quick review the following morning, he won't need to continue revising for this subject until he's due to go back to school again.

Yet, he's tired; mentally and emotionally drained. He hasn't been revising for all too long, considering that he's expected to be studying for around five or six hours every night, but it's taken a huge toll on him today. He's left feeling a bit fragile now that everything is finished, although he wouldn't really say it out loud. Instead, he chooses to play it off by resting his head against Taeil's shoulder and letting out an exaggerated sigh, waiting to be directly offered the opportunity to cuddle him. His boyfriend has already picked his book back up and has returned to reading it, but the nudge is enough to draw him away from it for just a second. Donghyuck feels triumphant again as he receives the attention that he wanted.

Taeil simply lifts his arms enough for his boyfriend to crawl into his lap then continues reading. It's enough attention for Donghyuck, since he was planning on playing a video game that Mark lent him anyway. They end up sitting so that they're working around each other, with Taeil holding the book around the younger boy and Donghyuck resting his games console in his lap. It's comfortable and subtly affectionate and genuinely sweet between them.

The rest of their afternoon continues in that way until they finally agree between them that it might be time to get dinner. Both stretch out, having gotten a bit stiff after hours of sitting in the same spot, then walk hand in hand out of the room.


	7. morning jogs (Dojae)

Yoonoh and Dongyoung's love is morning exercise.

It's the fresh start at five in the morning on the days that their dance and vocal training is later in the day. It's the groggy wake-up call; the sound of Dongyoung's phone vibrating next to his bed, and the tired grumble from Yoonoh, who had been sharing his bed the night before as not to wake up more of their dorm mates than necessary. It's the feeling of cold shower water running over bare skin as they try to wake themselves up in the morning, and the taste of the coffee that Yoonoh makes before they start. He takes Americano, whilst Dongyoung has Caramel Macchiato. It's a little kick of caffeine to get them started in the morning, and as soon as they're ready they head outside.

Their love is running together through the foggy morning air. There's a bit of dew on the grass and their breath is visible as soon as they get outside of the dorm. They're both in tank tops, despite the fact that it's relatively cold outside still, but whilst Dongyoung opts for sweatpants, Yoonoh is wearing shorts. It's a surprise that he's not freezing, since their stylist had insisted on shaved legs for their most recent performances, but he quickly warms up as they start jogging. If anything, it's encouraging him to move a little more than he probably would right at the start of a workout. Dongyoung asks about it once they get started, but he simply shrugs and tells him that he won't be cold for long if they continue moving constantly.

It's a bonding experience for them both. Although they have phones strapped to them and one headphone in each, there's a bit of conversation as they're going. Their playlists are synchronised so that they can jog and walk to the same songs, and they both manage to keep up with it relatively well. There are particular songs that they chose out together; a mix of their own music and high energy songs from their favourite groups. The first is perfectly planned to get them motivated to get started, and they find themselves humming along as best as possible as they're running.

Although Dongyoung isn't half as muscular or sporty as his boyfriend, he tends to jog when he's stressed or anxious, and since that's been quite often lately he's managed to build up his stamina and endurance pretty well. Surprisingly, Yoonoh is the first to show any signs of struggling, since it's not usually his style to go running in comparison to working on his upper body muscles, but he pulls through regardless and only relaxes when they get to the end of the first song. He allows Dongyoung to slow down to a speed walk first before slowing down too, just so that he's certain that it's the right place to rest.

He stretches up high as he tries to get his breath back. A glance over at his boyfriend shows that Dongyoung still hasn't even broken a sweat yet, and his breathing isn't that heavy. It's impressive in all honesty, and it gets them talking about it all. Dancing is one thing as a form of exercise but running is something completely different. It's admirable that Dongyoung is able to do it so easily, considering that they've run for around a kilometre in around six minutes and he's still not struggling in the slightest. He explains how much he's been running lately and although it makes sense to Yoonoh, he's still really impressed by it. It calls for some compliments, as far as he's concerned, so he makes sure to let his boyfriend know that it's good to work and he's proud of his achievements when it comes to exercise.

They don't run together often since there's rarely the time to do so. Yoonoh is expected to be particularly outstanding when it comes to their dance training, so he tends to train in the early hours when his boyfriend is jogging. Dongyoung, on the other hand, tends not to get so intense with the dance training, and so he relies primarily on his jogging to maintain his appearance. They mutually decide that they're going to do it more often; at least once a week so that they can have that bit of extra private time together.

They spend almost an hour running together, making it through eight kilometres in total. By the time they finish, they're both sweating and a little stiff as they walk. Dongyoung brushes a clammy hand against his boyfriend's palm, and they end up interlocking fingers as they try to cool down, since they're in a quiet back alley and aren't likely to be caught by any fans whilst they're there. It's a little gesture, but it's really sweet and romantic and they're a bit reluctant to let go of each other's hands when they hit the main road again. The walk back to their dorm is peppered with a few little glances between them, and on the occasion that their eyes meet, they both immediately break into grins.

It's a surprise that no one else is awake when they get to the dorm. Whilst they know that they should probably go and shower again, since they're both drowning in their own sweat, Dongyoung is insistent on them stretching first. He's had tight muscles as a result of running without stretching on too many occasions to risk having that issue again any time soon. Granted, the warm water of their shower would probably help, but it's also another way for them to bond.

They make their way straight to the kitchen and sit down so that they can stretch their legs out. Yoonoh winces at how tight his thighs feel when he starts to stretch forward, and Dongyoung simply laughs at him and helps him to push it a bit further. They make jokes about how he's supposed to be pretty flexible and all yet he can barely push himself far enough to touch his toes. It just makes it funnier when he suggests to his boyfriend that he won't be able to get down that far either since his legs are starting to seize up too, but Dongyoung simply drops down to sit next to him and leans all the way forward to grab his ankles from the outside.

It becomes a competition between them to see how far they can get down. Yoonoh is starting to loosen up enough to actually be able to stretch a bit further down, although his joints are clicking a bit with each movement. It defeats the point of their stretching serving as a relaxing comedown from their exercise, but it's all in good spirit as it's certainly helped them to start their day energetically.

After around ten minutes of stretching their muscles out, they pull themselves off the floor and make their way over to the bathroom. Fingers are interlocked again as they had been earlier that morning, although their hands are a lot cooler than they had been back when they were running. Apparently some of their dorm mates are starting to wake up as it's starting to hit a more reasonable hour, but luckily there's no one in the bathroom at the moment. Even though it's their second shower of the day, they're both more than happy to have the water running over them again, and this time they wash themselves up properly.

As much as they're awake, though, the warmth of the water leaves them feeling a bit drowsy again. Even though they planned on using their exercise session as a way of starting the morning with a spark of energy, a bit of subtle hinting to each other results in both boys admitting that they're a bit tired after the run, and so they mutually decide to go back through to Dongyoung's bed for an hour's nap. After all, there's no point in exhausting themselves too much early in the day before their evening dance training. It's going to be an intense night for them if they don't have their nap, as far as they're concerned.

They're quick to get out of the shower and dry themselves off. When they hit the bed, they don't even bother to get dressed; they just wrap themselves up in the duvet with their towels still around them. Yoonoh curls up around his boyfriend from behind and presses a soft kiss to his temple before wishing him a good nap, and within a few minutes, they're both completely out again until their alarm sounds again.


End file.
